


death counter

by rayfelle



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 22:32:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6772921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayfelle/pseuds/rayfelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa is able to see numbers atop of people’s heads.</p>
            </blockquote>





	death counter

Ever since Oikawa has been young he has been able to see numbers atop of people’s heads. They differ in range, always tick on and on towards reaching perfect zeroes. He doesn’t know, not really, what they mean for most of his life. They seemed to be something fun for him, even if no one else seemed to believe him about them.

But then his grandmother died, with her numbers all perfect zeroes and Oikawa knew.

The numbers were no longer something fun and exciting to look forward to. They were a death sentence, a shadow of fear that never went away. And the worst part was that Oikawa could do nothing to save whoever was nearing their perfect zeroes. Nor could he warn someone, because no one believed.

…

Oikawa could not see his own numbers. It was the one thing that was always hidden away from him. Maybe it was for the better, he wasn’t sure how to feel about being able to know when he will finally die.

But still. Seeing others get closer to their time was no better.

…

And then he met Iwaizumi. They had the same group of friends in high school, same club activities even (volleyball made Oikawa forget about the numbers, let him ignore it all easier). And he had become so much better at ignoring the ticking lifeline above the heads of others.

But Iwaizumi’s was so, so short. When compared to the laughing faces of the teenagers around them, even the teachers (with their lives already half way done), Iwaizumi’s countdown was so, so close to the end already.

A few years, maybe until the other reached his twenties.

Maybe. Oikawa didn’t want to do the math. He was scared to lose someone he thought of as friend. He was scared of the day when he might find out that Iwaizumi was no more.

…

So Oikawa ignored the numbers atop of Iwaizumi’s head even more. And he fell in love even harder. It was a bittersweet thing, a double-edged sword. But he had fallen so much for someone so beautiful, so the numbers seemed meaningless and unreal.

He ignored and he loved. And enjoyed the love that Iwaizumi gave back to him.

They weren’t perfect and they fought, with broken plates and scratched walls. There were tears and sore throats afterwards, hurt feelings that were hard to fix. But afterwards came sweet apologies and confessions that meant more than anything else. Oikawa didn’t need perfect, he needed Iwaizumi.

And the numbers didn’t matter. Perhaps, for once, they were wrong.

…

But the numbers never lie. Because when that last one counts down to zero life ends and death greets the poor mortal at the gates of afterlife. Last breath, last laugh. Last whispered words that will forever haunt Oikawa’s dreams and nightmares.

He stood by the soft soil of the grave and cried for the love that couldn’t save. It never saves, he should have known better. He shouldn’t have hoped so, because nothing is ever that easy. That simple.

Death counter. Broken, cursed eyes. A twisted soul.

The numbers were never wrong. They ticked down life, brought closer to death. And Oikawa will never known his own. But maybe it didn’t matter anyway, because he felt dead already, in a way.


End file.
